Diesel Kia Sportage: MOT pass rate

76.7% of diesel Kia Sportages pass the MOT first time, measured across 145,772 DVSA tests on that fuel type alone. Average mileage at test was 77,606.

Diesel against the other Kia Sportage versions

Why the fuel type changes the number

Diesels carry DPFs, EGR valves and stricter smoke limits, so emissions and exhaust faults account for failures petrol cars never see.

On the Kia Sportage specifically, hybrid is the strongest at 86.6%, and this diesel version sits 3 points below the 79.7% model average.

What it means if you are buying one

The diesel Kia Sportage fails more often than the model average, so budget for the items that catch this fuel type and treat a fresh MOT as worth paying for. Buying a damaged one? run it through the analyzer, check the exact car, decode the VIN and check the mileage before you bid.

Mileage is part of the answer

The average diesel Kia Sportage had covered 77,606 miles at test, against 47,586 for the petrol and 38,351 for the hybrid. That is a shade above the middle of the range, still ordinary wear rather than a red flag, but worth checking against the service book for the car's age.

Fuel type and mileage are tangled together: diesels are usually bought by higher-mileage drivers, so some of any gap between fuels is the miles rather than the engine. The per-year figures on the Kia Sportage page separate age from fuel if you want to isolate one.

Most common MOT failures on a diesel Kia Sportage

1. Parking brake inoperative on one side, 1.6% of tests (2.67x the national rate for this defect)
2. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 4.5% of tests (2.1x the national rate for this defect)
3. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 2.5% of tests (1.92x the national rate for this defect)
4. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 5.4% of tests (1.69x the national rate for this defect)
5. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 1.6% of tests (1.56x the national rate for this defect)
6. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 1.2% of tests (1.5x the national rate for this defect)
7. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 1.9% of tests (1.49x the national rate for this defect)
8. Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 1.1% of tests (1.42x the national rate for this defect)
9. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 5.4% of tests
10. A tyre seriously damaged, 2% of tests

From 146,329 DVSA-tracked diesel Kia Sportage tests, 2024, split out from the Kia Sportage's other fuel types. DVSA testers marked 7.54% of these flagged defects as "dangerous", against 5.11% nationally. See which fuel type fails on the most dangerous defects nationally for how that compares across the whole fleet.

Most common MOT advisories on a diesel Kia Sportage

Flagged but doesn't fail the car, a different list from the failures above.

1. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 2.7% of tests (1.96x the national rate for this defect)
2. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 18% of tests (1.92x the national rate for this defect), also fails
3. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 4.8% of tests (1.49x the national rate for this defect), also fails
4. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 2.9% of tests (1.43x the national rate for this defect), also fails
5. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 34% of tests (1.28x the national rate for this defect), also fails
6. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 1.6% of tests (1.23x the national rate for this defect), also fails
7. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 14.2% of tests (1.16x the national rate for this defect)
8. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 14.3% of tests, also fails
9. A tyre seriously damaged, 13.8% of tests, also fails
10. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 3.4% of tests

From 146,329 DVSA-tracked diesel Kia Sportage tests, 2024.

Other Kia Sportage fuel types

• Petrol Kia Sportage - 83.6%
• Hybrid Kia Sportage - 86.6%

All Kia Sportage MOT data · Every model